separators

A separator is a pressure vessel used for separating a well stream into gaseous and liquid
components. They are installed either in an onshore processing station or on an offshore
platform. Based on the vessel configurations, the oil/gas separators can be divided into:
1- horizontal,
2- vertical,
3- or spherical separators.
In teams of fluids to be separated, the oil/gas separators can be grouped into gas/liquid
two-phase separator or oil/gas/water three-phase separator.
1- horizontal,
Figure 1 presents a sketch of a horizontal separator. In horizontal separators, gas flows
horizontally while liquid droplets fall toward the liquid surface. The moisture gas flows in the
baffle surface and forms a liquid film that is drained away to the liquid section of the
separator.
Horizontal separators are usually the first choice because of their low costs. They are almost
widely used for high gas–oil ratio well streams, foaming well streams, or liquid-from-liquid
separation. They have much greater gas–liquid interface because of a large, long, baffled
gasseparation section. Horizontal separators are easier to skid-mount and service and require
less piping for field connections.

Figure one
Vertical Separators
Figure 2 shows a vertical separator. The inlet diverter is a centrifugal inlet device making
the incoming stream spin around. This action forces the liquid droplets to stay together
and fall to the bottom of the separator along the separator wall due to gravity. Sufficient
surge room is available in the settling section of the vertical separator to handle slugs of
liquid without carryover to the gas outlet. A mist eliminator or extractor near the gas
outlet allows the entrained liquid in the gas to be almost eliminated. Vertical separators
are often used to treat low to intermediate gas–oil ratio well streams and streams with
relatively large slugs of liquid. They handle greater slugs of liquid without carryover to
the gas outlet, and the action of the liquid level control is not as critical. Vertical
separators occupy less floor space, which is important for facility sites such as those on
offshore platforms where space is limited. Because of the large vertical distance between
the liquid level and the gas outlet, the chance for liquid to revaporize into the gas phase is
limited. However, because of the natural upward flow of gas in a vertical separator
against the falling droplets of liquid, adequate separator diameter is required. Vertical
separators are more costly to fabricate and ship in skid-mounted assemblies.
 Spherical Separators
Spherical separators offer an inexpensive and compact means of separation arrangement.
Because of their compact configurations, this type of separator has a very limited surge
space and liquid settling section. Also, the placement and action of the liquid-level
control in this type of separator is very critical.
Conventional oil/gas separator names:
Oil/gas separator
Gas/liquid separator
Degasser
Deliqulizer
Scrubber
Trap.

Separator components
An oil/gas separator generally consists of following components :
Inlet device located in pre-separation zone/section;
diverted the inlet component to improve flow distribution;
Mist extraction device located in gas space to further reduce liquid content in the bulk gas
stream;
Various weirs to control the liquid level or interface level;
Liquid level/interface detection and control, etc.;
Gas, oil, water outlet;
Pressure relief devices.

Requirements of separators

Separators are required to provide oil/gas streams that meet saleable pipeline specification as
well as disposal.
 Oil must have less than 1% (by volume) water and less than 5 lbm water/MMscf gas.
 Water stream must have less than 20 ppm oil for overboard discharge in the Gulf of
Mexico (GOM).
 Factors Affecting Separation

Separation efficiency is dominated by separator size. For a given separator, factors

that affect separation of liquid and gas phases include:
 separator operating pressure,
 separator operating temperature,
 and fluid stream composition.

Changes in any of these factors will change the amount of gas and liquid leaving the
separator. An increase in operating pressure or a decrease in operating temperature
generally increases the liquid covered in a separator. In field separation facilities,
operators tend to determine the optimum conditions for them to maximize revenue.
As the liquid hydrocarbon product is generally worth more than the gas, high liquid
recovery is often desirable, provided that it can be handled in the available storage
system. The operator can control operating pressure to some extent by use of
backpressure valves. However, pipeline requirements for Btu content of the gas
should also be considered as a factor affecting separator operation.
Controllers and Internal Components of Gas–Oil Separators

Gas–oil separators are generally equipped with the following control

devices and internal components .

Liquid Level Controller

The liquid level controller (LLC) is used to maintain the liquid level inside the separator at a
fixed height. In simple terms, it consists of a float that exists at the liquid–gas interface and
sends a signal to an automatic diaphragm motor valve on the oil outlet. The signal causes the
valve to open or close, thus allowing more or less liquid out of the separator to maintain its
level inside the separator.

Pressure Control Valve

The pressure control valve (PCV) is an automatic backpressure valve that exists on the gas
stream outlet. The valve is set at a given pressure. It will automatically open or close,
allowing more or less gas to flow out of the separator to maintain a fixed pressure inside the
separator.

Pressure Relief Valve

The pressure relief valve (PRV) is a safety device that will automatically open to vent the
separator if the pressure inside the separator exceeded the design safe limit.

Mist Extractor
The function of the mist extractor is to remove the very fine liquid droplets from the gas
before it exits the separator. Several types of mist extractors are available:

1. Wire-Mesh Mist Extractor: These are made of finely woven stainless-steel wire wrapped
into a tightly packed cylinder of about 6 in. thickness. The liquid droplets that did not
separate in the gravity settling section of the separator coalesce on the surface of the matted
wire, allowing liquid-free gas to exit the separator. As the droplets size grows, they fall down
into the liquid phase. Provided that the gas velocity is reasonably low, wire-mesh extractors
are capable of removing about 99% of the 10-µm and larger liquid droplets. It should be
noted that this type of mist extractor is prone to plugging. Plugging could be due to the
deposition of paraffin or the entrainment of large liquid droplets in the gas passing through
the mist extractor (this will occur if the separator was not properly designed). In such cases,
the vane-type mist extractor, described next, should be used.

2. Vane Mist Extractor: This type of extractor consists of a series of closely spaced parallel,
corrugated plates. As the gas and entrained liquid droplets flowing between the plates change
flow
direction, due to corrugations, the liquid droplets impinge on the surface of the plates, where
they coalesce and fall down into the liquid collection section.

3. Centrifugal Mist Extractor: This type of extractor uses centrifugal force to separate the
liquid droplets from the gas. Although it is more efficient and less susceptible to plugging
than other extractors, it is not commonly used because of its performance sensitivity to small
changes in flow rate.
Wave Breakers
In long horizontal separators, waves may develop at the gas–liquid interface. This creates
unsteady fluctuations in the liquid level and would negatively affect the performance of the
liquid level controller. To avoid this, wave breakers, which consist of vertical baffles installed
perpendicular to the flow direction, are used.

Defoaming Plates
Depending on the type of oil and presence of impurities, foam may form at the gas–liquid
interface. Foam at the interface may occur when gas bubbles are liberated from the liquid.
Foam can severely degrade the performance of a separator. This foam can be stabilized with
the addition of chemicals at the inlet. Many times a more effective solution is to force the
foam to pass through a series of inclined parallel plates or tubes. These closely spaced,
parallel plates or tubes provide additional surface area, which breaks up the foam and allows
the foam to collapse into the liquid layer.

Vortex Breaker
A vortex breaker, similar in shape to those used in bathroom sink drains, is normally installed
on the liquid outlet to prevent formation of a vortex when the liquid outlet valve is open. The
formation of a vortex at the liquid outlet may result in withdrawal and entrainment of gas
with the exiting liquid (gas blowby).
Sand Jets and Drains
Formation sand may be produced with the fluids. Some of this sand will settle and
accumulate at the bottom of the separator. This takes up separator volume and disrupts the
efficiency of separation. In such cases, vertical separators will be preferred over horizontal
separators. However, when horizontal separators are needed, the separator should be
equipped with sand jets and drains along the bottom of the separator. Normally, produced
water is injected though the jets to fluidize the accumulated sand, which is then removed
through the drains.